Tremolo attachment for cornets



(No Model.)

F. MENZENHAUER. TREMOLO ATTACHMENT TOR GORNBTS. No. 377,860.

Patented Feb. 14, 1888.

TTOHIVEKS'.

UNITED STATES PATENT EEICE.

FRIEDRICH MENZENHAUER, OF JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY.A

TREMOLO ATTACHMENT FOR CORNETS.

SPECIFICATION forming part o Letters Patent No. 377,860, dated February14, 1888.

Application filed July 8, 1887. Serial No. 213,733. (No model.)

T 1f/ZZ whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, FRIEDRICH MENZEN- HAUEE, of Jersey City, in thecounty of Hudson, State of New Jersey, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Tremelo Attachments for Cor'nets and LikeWind-Instruments, of which the following is a specification. j

The object of my invention is to provide a new and improved tremoloattachment which can be applied to or introduced in a cornet or likewindsinstruinenasaid tremolo attachment being adapted to be worked bythe lingers of the player.

The invention consists in the combination, with a swinging valve in theWind-pipe,of a spring acting on said valve, and Va spring-lever by meansof which said valve can be lowered and raised alternately.

The invention also consists in the construction and combination of partsand details, as

will be fully described and set forth herein after, and then pointed outin the claims.

InV the accompanying drawings, Figure l is atop view of my improvedtremolo attachment, parts being lbroken out and others being in section.Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional elevation of the same, the valvebeing raised and the wind-pipe opened. Fig. 3 is a similar view, thevalve being lowered and the wind-pipe closed. Fig. 4 is an enlargeddetail cross-sectional view of a modified construction of one end of thelever. Fig. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view of a slightly-modifledconstruction.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

The short tube B projects upward from the wind-pipe A and is incommunication with the same, and on the top of said tubethe casing C isprovided, which is not in communication with the said tube. Jaws A'project up into the tube A at the bottom of the same, and between saidjaws the lug D' is pivoted, which is formed on one end of an ellipticalvalve-plate, D, which is curved in cross-section on the same radius asthe wind-tube, so as to tit snugly against the same, the said windpipebeing provided on the inside with a recess intowhich the valve canswing, as shown in Fig. 2.

A curved seat, F, is formed on the inside of the wind-pipe, upon whichseat the edges of the valve D can rest, as shown in Fig. 3, so as tocompletely close the wind-pipe. strip or tongue, G, fixed on thewind-pipe,has its free end rested on the top of the valve near thepivoted end ofthe same. A pin, H, is iiXed or pivoted in any suitablemanner on the top of the lug D of the valve D, and projects upwardthrough the opening l in the bottom of the casing C, the upper end ofsaid pin or stem projecting a short distance above the bottom of thecasing.

ln the casing C two opposite levers, J and J', are pivoted in such amanner that their free ends are adjacent to each other, and said leversare provided on their swinging ends with the lugs or projections K andK', the lug K' being above the lug K, and the said levers are alsoprovided on their free ends with the upwardly-projecting arms L L', theupper or free ends of which are beveled in opposite directions.

A pin, M, projects from the arm L over the lug K' of the lever J. Theupper beveled arms, L L', project through an opening, N, in the top ofthe casing and can be acted upon by a lever, O, pivoted on`the top ofthe casing and provided with a spring, C', for throwing it back into thenormal position. Part of said lever is adapted to swing over the openingN, and is provided in its under side with a groove or recess, P, formingtwo ridges or projecting parts, or a cam-surface which can act on theupper ends of the arms L L'. lf desired, the lever O may be providedinits under side with two grooves forming three ridges, as shown in Fig.4.

If desired, the levers J J may be dispensed with and the lever R bepivoted on the top of the casing, the end of which lever R restsdirectly on the upper end of the stem or pin H.

S is a yoke on the top of the casing C.

The operation is follows: The spring G tends to press down the valveD,and thus keep the wind-pipe closed, as shown in Fig. 3; but when thelug D of the valve D is pressed down the valve is raised, as shown inFig. 2, and thus by alternately raising and lowering the valve theaircurrent is interrupted at intervals and the tremolo produced. Everytime the lever R, Fig. 5, is pressed down the pressure is taken fromthelug D' of the valve D,and

A spring u IOO s sfmseo the spring G can swing down said valve D,andwhen the lever R is released the spring R of said lever raises the leverand presses down the lug D', whereby the valve D is raised, the pressureor power of the spring It being greater than that of the spring G. It isthus evident that every time the lever R is pressed down the current ofair is interrupted and a comparatively slow tremolo is produced. In casea more rapid tremolo is desired, the construction shown in Figs. 1, 2,and 3 is used. When the lever O is in the position shown in Fig. 1, oneof the ridges Q rests upon the upper ends of the arms L L of the leversJ J', as shown in Fig. 2, whereby the levers J J are pressed down,and bymeans of the pin or stem H hold down the lug D of the valve D, whichvalve is thus held in the raised position, the power of the spring Gbeing overcome by the spring O of the lever O. The player then, by meansof a finger, swings the lever O toward the position shown in dottedlines in Fig. 1, permitting the ends of the arms L L to pass into therecess or groove l? in the under side ofthelever O under the actionofthe spring G, which can now operate. Thereby the valve D is loweredand the current of air interrupted. W'hen the lever O is in the positionshown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, the other ridge Q rests upon the upperends ofthe arms L L and the valve D is again raised. When the lever 0 isreleased, the spring O brings it back to the position shown in fulllines in Fior. 1, and the ends of the arms L L again pass into the notchor recess I), and the valve D is again lowered to be raised immediatelyafter .when the first ridge Q again acts on the upper ends of the arms LL.

It is evident that when the lever O is swung from the position shown infull lines in Fig. 1 into the position shown in dotted lines the valve Dis lowered once and then raised, and when the lever O swings back fromthe position shown in dotted lines in to the position shown in fulllines the valve is again lowered and then raised.

For each forward and return movement of the lever O the valve is thuslowered twice and the current of air is interrupted twice, and a morerapid tremolo is produced than with the construction shown in Fig. 5, inwhich the current of air is interrupted only once for each time thelever is pressed. If the lever O is provided with two grooves in itsunder side, as shown in Fig. 4, the valve D is lowered four times foreach forward and return movement of the lever, and thus a still morerapid tremolo is produced.

This device can be applied at any part of a cornet or likewind-instrument, and the valve always remains raised, except when thelever of the tremolo attachment is depressed.

In this application I do not claim the combination, with a swingingvalve in the windpipe, of a motor for operating said valve, as set forthin my application, Serial No. 228,289, allowed on the 23d of March,1887.

Having thus described myinvention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent- 1. A tremolo attachment for cornets or likeinstruments, consisting of a swinging valve in the wind-pipe and afinger-lever for operating said valve, substantially as herein shown anddescribed.

2. A tremolo attachment for cornets or like instruments, consisting of aswinging valve in the wind-pipe, a spring` acting on said valve,andafinger-lever for actuating said valve, substantially as herein shownand described.

3. A tremolo attachment for cornets or like instruments, consisting oi'a swinging valve in the wind-pipe, a spring acting on said valve, afinger-lever for actuating the valve, and a spring acting on saidfinger-lever, substantially as herein shown and described.

4. Inatremoloattachmentforcornets orlikc instruments, the combination,with a pipe, oi' a swinging valve in the saine, pivoted levers foractuating the valve, and a finger-lever for actuating said levers,substantially as herein shown and described.

5. In a tremolo attachment for cornets or like instruments, thecombination, with a pipe, ol" a swinging valve in the same, a lug on oneend of the valve, a pin or stem on said lug, pivoted levers above theupper end ot' said pin or stem, and a finger-lever l'or actuating saidlevers above the upper end of the pin or stem, substantially as hereinshown and described.

6. In a tremolo attachment for cornets and like instruments, thecombination, with a pipe, of a valve in the same and a linger-lever l'oractuating the valve, which .finger-lever is provided with a recess inits under side, substantially as herein shown and described.

7. Inatremolo attachmentforcornetsorlike instruments, the combination,with a pipe, of a valve in the same, pivoted levers provided withupwardly-projecting arms, which levers actuate the valve, and aiinger-levcr mounted to i-nove over the upper' ends of said arms, thatpart of the linger-lever which passes over the upper ends of the saidarms being provided with a cam-surface on its under side, substantiallyas herein shown and described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed myname in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

FRIEDRICH ll/IENZENHAUER.

Vitnesses:

PAUL Gonrnr., CARL Kani.

IIO

